a glass vessel from which air can be removed by suction or heat to create a partial vacuum: formerly used in drawing blood to the surface of the skin for slow bloodletting
Also called: artificial leech
cupping glass in American English
noun
a glass vessel, used in cupping, in which a partial vacuum is created, as by heat
Word origin
[1535–45]This word is first recorded in the period 1535–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: agglutination, alcohol, diagonal, protocol, tracer